Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Putting my Money Where My Mouth Is...

On the other hand, I'm a bigfan of Purim. The two holidays are not equivalent in any way (let me be very clear about that) in their meaning or purpose, but they do have the costume thing in common. At the age of 6, which my oldest is, that is the thing that he notices the most. (I know he'll learn more about the holiday and learn to appreciate it for what it is, but for now, it's all about the costume.)

Here's how the Halloween thing went this past year in my house:David: Mom, I want to be an Ice Ninja for Halloween.Me: That costume costs $40.Him: So will you buy it?Me: Nope. You have to earn the money yourself!

And so he did. As well as a then-5-year-old could (extra chores, helping out, saving gifts, etc). So I bought him the costume once we had the money in hand (and I didn't make him pay for the shipping....aren't I a nice mom?)

Now, you might think that I would have my kid wear the same ($40) costume for Purim.But not so.

David: Mom, I want to be Harry Potter for Purim.Me: Hmm...

So I bought him a Harry Potter costume. For about $40. I even bought a light-up wand.And I reminded him as I gave it to him that he earned the other costume but this one was a special Purim gift. And I think he got it.

What did I learn?I have to put my money where my values are. I have to show my kids that when it's important to me, I'll buy. Purim is important to me and I want my kids to be excited about it, to wait for it eagerly, to love it! And you know what...he really loved wearing his Harry Potter costume for our Purim Carnival (and hopefully to the one my husband will be taking him to on Friday while I'm back in Israel)

See what Frume Sarah has to say today...our Purim Party is going strong!

P.S. I'll be in Israel again starting tomorrow, just until Tuesday. Please try not to post anything earth-shattering, okay, since I won't be reading blogs. You can, however, follow my trip here at my blog!

3 comments:

This is such a great idea! Now I have to sort through our traditions and priorities and figure out how to clearly focus our attention on our most cherished events. I love how you so purposefully teach your kiddos!

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Ima is Hebrew for "mom."Bima is the platform from which a Jewish prayer service is led. Rabbis typically stand on the bima to lead services.I'm a rabbi and mama...sometimes I'm up on the bima and sometimes I'm not...(Want to email me? imabima (at) gmail.com)Want to hear the other guy's perspective? Check out my husband, the Abba Sababa.